Just Best Friends

Chapter Three

The lunch period was almost over so we went to our lockers, conveniently placed right next to the other, but with one locker in between ours.
Just one more reason to be glad that we're right next to each other for anything and everything that's alphabetical order in school.
Sadly, that also meant having to be right next to Max Johnson. He was a nice enough guy, but only talked about a few things.
1) soccer.
2) food.
3) girls.
4) playing the guitar.
5) tigger
6) citrus fruits-which technically counts as food I guess.
7) did I mention soccer yet?
8) and corny, yet hilarious jokes.
Okay so that's more than a few things, but I've know him for about seven years now. That's all he's ever talked about. Usually in that order.
Jessie and I both groaned as he walked up to his locker, right in between ours.
"Hey gals."
"Hi Max!" We said simultaneously, waiting for him to talk about his most recent soccer win.
"Lyla, you know Vivian, right?" He asked as he swung open his locker.
"Uh yeah why?" I was shocked. Why was he interested in her? The only thing they had in common was that they both play soccer. And they both win almost all of their games and matches.
"Well do you have her number or anything?"
"Yeah wh-YOU LIKE HER DON'T YOU!!?"
"SHUT UP!!" He lowered his voice to a whisper, "I don't want the whole school to know. And especially not her."
"Aww that's so cute. I see it. I ship it."
He groaned. "Why am I talking to you about this? Oh yeah you guys are friends."
"Yeah we are. I can give her your number."
I twirled a strand of my shiny, boring, dark hair around my finger as I recited her number from memory and he excitedly typed it into his contact list. I couldn't believe it! They would make such a cute couple. I had thought that years ago when they were stand partners in orchestra. But now Max doesn't play violin anymore and Vivian still does. It's a shame. They're both really good-well he was. Vivian still is, since I still see and hear her play in orchestra.
"Thanks Lyla! I knew I could count on you! I knew it!" He smiled and winked at me as he walked toward his group of friends-basically the entire varsity soccer team along with a few others guys.
"Whoa. He winked at you! After asking for Vivian's number! What EVEN?"
"Jessica," calling her by her full first name got her attention, "he's just a flirty, cheeky guy. That's all." I shrugged as I closed my locker door and she did the same.
"Whatever you say!" She sing-songed.
Uh oh. She's scheming. I can tell.
"Don't you dare get any ideas, Jessie!"
"I won't I won't! But if the whole Max and Vivian thing doesn't work out and Ryan ends up being an asshole you should date him!"
"You have no idea how glad I am that you didn't suggest that I should date Chase." I laughed as we walked to English.
"Nah. I don't see that happening ever."
"Thank you for being the only sensible one at this school besides Chase and me."
"You're welcome! You guys are too close. It would be awkward. Like dating your brother." She cringed.
I rolled my eyes as we sat in our seats, waiting for the bell to ring and for the rest of the kids to file in. Chase, surprisingly, was one of the last people to walk in. He sighed very audibly as he slid in the desk next to mine.
"Why are you late?" I whispered across the aisle. "You're never late."
"I'm not late." He stated. "I'm just not early."
"But you're always early. Why not today?"
He shrugged in response, which made me kind of angry. We never kept secrets from each other. Now he was just acting weird and I didn't know why.
But I know that I will find out. Or figure it out myself if I have to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walked home quickly, glad that I live so close to the school. Because even though I love warm weather, Phoenix's warm weather is deadly. But I'm just being dramatic.
As the nice, cool, and comforting air conditioning hit my grossly sweaty skin, I dropped my bag to the floor. Life is boring in a house where all of your siblings have moved out. I'm just glad I don't have to fight with anyone over the bathroom anymore.
I plopped onto my comfy leather couch, my aging dog Spike slowly waddling over to me.
Keep in mind I named him when I was six years old, which was about the time I was obsessed with the show Rugrats. Therefore, I had to have my dogs name be the same as Tommy Pickles dogs name.
"Hi Spike." I ruffled his soft golden fur, laughing at how he waddled, and turned on the T.V.
I was disappointed in my choices of television. It was either some gross special on Dr. Oz, or a cooking show. Neither of which are up my alley.
I stood up wearily, not wanting to leave my dog or the comfy couch.
"Looks like there isn't anything on tv. So I'll just have to blast my music!" I smirked, grabbing my favorite One Direction CD and putting it in the player.
Yeah I like One Direction.
Sue me.
I giggled and sang along to the words, finishing my homework within listening to half of the CD.
My phone buzzed suddenly and I jumped at the sound, clearly not expecting it.
I groaned as I saw that not only was I in a group message, but Danny had texted me. Again.
I turned to Spike. "Spike?" His ears perked up and he instantly smiled as much as a dog can. "Why are boys so stupid?" He didn't have an answer.
What a coincidence. Neither did I!
I muted the group chat and ignored Danny's text messages. He knows how I feel about him, I know how he feels about me, what does he want to say? Whenever we talk it's so awkward and I can't take it. It drives me nuts.
I sighed and looked around the empty house as the CD started over automatically.
I had no idea when my parents would be home from work.
Chase had robotics.
Jessie had dance.
Amelia was with Jacob.
And I was all alone. No one to hang out with or talk to.
Well this was quite a way to spend a Monday night.
I could always text Chase as soon as it was over which was in like ten minutes or so. But he never checks his phone. Ever. Well I don't blame him, he doesn't have a very good phone except for the fact that it's basically indestructible. You would think that a guy that's into technology and stuff he'd have the nicest smartphone you could buy.
Instead, he has the shittiest phone you could buy.
So, to pass time, I sat upside down on my couch and watched the second hand move on the clock.
Sure it was about as boring as watching paint dry, but I couldn't think of anything else.
Then the phone rang.
I immediately jumped up and answered it, not bothering to look to see who it was.
"Lyla? You there?" Amelia sobbed onto the phone.
Oh god. I was terrified of knowing what was wrong. Amelia barely cries when she's out in public and I could definitely hear lots of people talking around her.
"Yes! Amelia what's wrong? You know I'm here for you."
She then proceeded to talk about how much of a "jerk face" and a "complete and total loser" and an "asshole" Jacob Moore is.
Basically, they broke up.
Again.
Now she was crying on my shoulder like she usually did, which I didn't mind! But she was only telling me things I already knew.
"Amelia?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you and all, but this relationship you guys have is toxic. 100% pure poison. All it does is hurt you and make Jacob look like an asshole fuckboy player to girls, but like an Olympic gold medalist to guys."
"Yeah. Yeah. You're right. I'll delete his number and stuff."
"You will? Really?"
"Yeah. You're right. He's an asshole fuckboy player who doesn't do any good in my life. I'm done with him. Thank you Lyla. You're the best. Love you!"
"Love you too!" I smiled as she hung up.
I was proud. Extremely proud. As some people say, she was cutting the cancer out of her life. Which was good! She didn't need Jacob. He wasn't good enough for her anyways.
I was tempted to text Jessie about it, but then realized she was at dance. And that Amelia might want to tell her first. She'll tell her before tomorrow for sure. I know she will.
Well, at least I think she will.
I hope she will.
Otherwise Jessie would be offended and pissed. At the both of us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amelia didn't tell her. I didn't either.
So let's just say, many unhappy words were exchanged between them. They quickly made up, but still. It was slightly terrifying.
While this all went down, Chase eventually closed his book and turned to me.
"Hey you saw last nights rerun episode of Freaks and Geeks, right?" He asked, clearly annoyed that my friends had ruined his lunchtime reading for the second day in a row.
"Yeah!" I smiled, knowing that I had shown him the show. Just like I had shown him what are now his favorite bands.
"It was really funny." He laughed slightly. "Why did they cancel it?"
"I'm not sure. But they shouldn't have. I wish they didn't."
"Me too. It's almost sadder than the fact that Psych isn't on the air anymore."
"Are you still refusing to watch the last episode?" I giggled.
"Yes. I can't. If I do that then it's over. Over for good!"
"It's been a year!! You have to watch it at some point."
"No way. Nope. David said he cried. I can't handle that."
"Okay I'll admit I cried but David is David!!! He exaggerates everything."
"Like his story about when he almost got kidnapped by other foreign tourists while in Rome as a small child?"
"Yes! He always changes it from that they kidnapped him for ransom money to that they kidnapped him because he spoke English and they didn't."
"I don't know if we'll ever know." He laughed hysterically.
"Right? I guess we'd have to have been there to know." I giggled.
"That's a nice story!" Danny laughed and I jumped out of my skin. I had no idea he had sat next to me and Chase.
That explains why Amelia and Jessie stopped fighting. Danny was there. Sitting next to me.
Almost a little too close for comfort.
"Uh yeah it is." Chase laughed awkwardly, knowing the bad blood Danny and I had.
"Yep. Very nice." I muttered awkwardly.
Danny was such a freaking mood killer.
"Well I just wanted to hang out with my friends!" Danny wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
"What friends? Your friends are over there." Jessie pointed to where his friends sat, at a table on the other side of the lunch room.
"Ouch. That really hurt Jessie." He joked. "But Lyla and Chase are my friends. Right guys?"
"Yeah." Chase smiled.
"Sure!" I muttered, earning a look of disapproval from Amelia.
"Okay I don't know if you wanna get in her pants or what, but you really seem to be kissing up to Lyla." Amelia snapped.
"Who said I want to get in her pants? Can't we be friends?" He retorted, his ego clearly hurt.
"Your actions, you shithead."
"Whoa there Amelia Bedelia, no need to swear." He laughed.
"Fine then you shiznit. Go find someone else to bother."
"Nah. I'd rather stay here." He then pulled me closer to him with his arm.
No one at the table seemed amused.
Except Chase. He got his nose in his book again as soon as shit hit the fan and was now giggling like a small child. Some people thought he was laughing at the situation.
I knew it was something in his book. It always was.
"Uh well, excuse me, Danny," I carefully wriggled out of his grasp. "I need to get to my locker."
"Okay!" He winked. "It was nice to see you!" He smiled.
"Nice to see you too." It was more of a question and not really a statement. I then awkwardly left the cafeteria and headed towards my locker, Chase following me for some reason. He leaned up against the lockers next to mine as I opened mine, even though I didn't need anything from it.
"Well that was..." He started, not finishing what he was trying to say.
"Awkward? Confusing? Weird?" I sighed. "I didn't know what to do."
"I don't blame you. I wouldn't either." He smiled reassuringly.
"Yeah."
"He usually isn't like that."
"Yeah he usually isn't."
"We hang out all the time and he's never acted like that."
"Oh? I didn't know you guys were close."
"Well we sort of are. Mainly because of chess club."
"Wait you're telling me that Danny Charleston is in the chess club?" I laughed as I shut my locker door.
"Yeah. Wait should I not have told you that?" He laughed slightly as we walked to English.
"I think it's fine that you told me. It's just hilarious."
"I guess it is kinda funny." He laughed harder as we plopped down into our seats. "What's more funny though, is that you're surprised it was awkward!"
Ouch. What did he mean by that?
"What do you mean? I'm confused." It's true, I was very, very confused.
"Well what did you expect? You broke up with him, but your friends basically did it for you. He still had a lot of feelings for you and he probably still does." He shrugged and said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was basically his way of telling me "you should've expected this. Duh."
Ouch. I didn't expect that either. Especially from Chase. Coming from anyone else I would have just shrugged it off.
But this was Chase. He never said things like that. Ever. Especially not to me.
So why is he saying things like that now?